Team honours young curler’s memory

It’s been a special year for a Nova Scotia women’s curling team, even though it didn’t make it to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts this week at the Halifax Curling Club.

The Sarah Rhyno rink from CFB Halifax dedicated its season to young curler Audrey Purcell, a fellow CFB Halifax curler who died at the age of nine of sudden cardiac arrest last January while attending a bonspiel in the Annapolis Valley.

The Rhyno foursome, who made Purcell their honorary fifth player, hoped to be able to make a donation to the Purcell family in conjunction with this week’s Scotties, but they were eliminated before they could get there.

Instead, team members on Tuesday made a donation to the Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS) Foundation. The $380 donation may not change the world, but it represents 20 per cent of all the money the team earned at cashspiels this season.

“We never really knew Audrey personally, but when she passed away it affected the entire community,” said Christie Lang, the second for the Rhyno team. “It was something that for us in particular we really felt saddened by the whole thing and it really put our own season into perspective.

“We ended up going through the provincials last year and not having a great (result), but we came out of it realizing we have the ability to curl and do something that we love. When you see what other families go through you really appreciate the fact you have the ability to do that.”

Three of the four team members are students and their fees and travel expenses topped $9,000. But they still came up with the money for their donation.

Lang, a Dalhousie student, said Purcell’s memory will continue to propel the team. They will compete together again next season in a bid to earn more money for the SADS research and to make it into the provincial championship.

They are also encouraging other curling teams to take up similar causes.

“Her story reminded us so much of ourselves,” said Lang. “That’s who we were growing up.”